Structure
RecQ family members share three regions of conserved protein sequence referred to as the:
- N-terminal – Helicase
- middle – RecQ-conserved (RecQ-Ct) and
- C-terminal – Helicase-and-RNase-D C-terminal (HRDC) domains.
The removal of the N-terminal residues (Helicase and, RecQ-Ct domains) impairs both helicase and ATPase activity but has no effect on the binding ability of RecQ implying that the N-terminus functions as the catalytic end. Truncations of the C-terminus (HRDC domain) compromise the binding ability of RecQ but not the catalytic function. The importance of RecQ in cellular functions is exemplified by human diseases, which all lead to genomic instability and a predisposition to cancer.
Read more about this topic: RecQ Helicase
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